Fury pulls out of Klitschko rematch

Tyson Fury’s uncle and trainer has said that the world heavyweight champion will conquer his health problems and return to boxing.

The WBA Super and WBO champion withdrew, for a second time, last week with the following statement.

“It is with the deepest regret we have to announce the World Heavyweight Championship rematch between Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko, scheduled to take place on the 29th October 2016 at the Manchester Arena, will not be going ahead.

“Tyson has, this week, been declared medically unfit to fight. Medical specialists have advised that the condition is too severe to allow him to participate in the rematch and that he will require treatment before going back into the ring.

“Tyson will now immediately undergo the treatment he needs to make a full recovery.

“We and Tyson wish to express our sincerest apologies to all those concerned with the event and all the boxing fans who had been looking forward to the rematch. Tyson is understandably devastated by the development.

“We will be making a further statement in due course. Until then, we ask that Tyson and his family be given the privacy and the space he needs to recover during this difficult time.”

The announcement led boxing promoter Eddie Hearn to cast doubt over whether the boxer would ever return to the ring.

“Fury will be stripped of his titles and, after a legal battle, he’ll say: ‘No more, I’m done’,” said Hearn. “It’s going to be really messy and it might take a year to resolve. I know there are sensitivities around mental health issues but this is a business.

“The governing bodies have had enough. The world heavyweight title is a huge part of their business and they’ve not made any money from it for a year.”

But Peter Fury has said that he believes otherwise. He told Sky Sports Boxing: “He’s very up and down. One second he’s the best fighter on the planet and the next he doesn’t care if he dies around the corner. It’s up and down comments like that that raised alarm bells and we decided to have him looked at.

“When you’ve got a fighter in the gym and he’s showing hardly any motivation and he’s just going through the motions, then something clearly isn’t registering properly.

“Tyson has got his issues and they’re being dealt with by the experts. His condition is highly confidential and it needs to be for him to have a speedy recovery.

“He’s been told to relax, take pressures off and just enjoy his family at the moment. It’s a known fact that he hasn’t got the accolades he should have had.

“That’s what he feels himself and that’s certainly not helped where he’s at today. There’s been a lot of negativity towards him but the experts will discuss all this. It all stems from negativity and he’s gone and done away with it.

“There’s nothing more to be said on it – he’s taking the necessary treatment.

“I don’t think there’s any lasting damage. I think he’ll be okay and he’ll be back. Let’s not forget the struggles Tyson had getting the world title.

“He fought many eliminators and finally got his chance after six or seven years, then he seized it with both hands.”